Closure for the handhole of burner bowls



Feb. 'r. B. FOCKE ET AL CLOSURE FOR THE HANDHOLE OF BURNER BOWLS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 17, 1939 INVENTORS,

BY MM 6' .13

Feb. 24, 1942. FQCKE ETAL 2,274,475 CLOSURE FOR THE HANDHOLE OF BURNER BOWLS Filed Jan. 1'7, 1939 2Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS,

BY NAM 6AM 3M1, W TM 2 ATTORNEYS.

chamber above; thin, the capacity of the primary air admitting (means should remain substantially constant,

Patented Feb. 24, 1942 CLOSURE FOR THE HANDHOLE F BURNER B0 WLS Theodore H B. Focke and Holden B. Townley,

ClevelandfHeights, Ohio, assignorsto Perfection Stove Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corpo- I ration of Ohio Application January 17, 1939, Serial No. 251,393

-1 Claim. (01. 220- This invention pertains to liquid fuel burning apparatus of the type in which the fuel is fed to a burner bowl wherein it is vaporized by the heat of combustion after the apparatus is in operation. The bowl has means for admitting 3, limited quantity of air, known as primary air, which, with the vapors, produces a relatively rich mixture; and this slowly burning mixture, rising througha zone wherein secondary air is added, burns vigorously in the combustion space or To insure satisfactory opera- 'The burner bowl-wherewith' the invention is concerned has a relatively large side open n or hand hole that "is provided for lighting and cleanout purposes, and the same is normally closed by suitable means; and unless said means is quite effective in the attainment of its purpose it will admit an excess of air to the bowl that will cause an unbalanced air andvapor condition resulting in unsatisfactory operation.

It is the fundamental purpose ofthe invention, therefore, toprovide a closure for the lighting and clean-out openings or hand holes of burner bowls of the kind referred ,to that will gaging said seat or flange, remains stationary while the body is turned so as to avoid wear of the gasket by abrasion, this being important because gaskets for use in such connections have to be non-inflammable wherefore theyfare usually of a fibrous material, such as asbestos or the like.

A further object is to provide a, connection between the body and gasket carrier that permits limited rocking of the latter with respect to the former to compensate for any slight irregularity in the relation of the gasket seat to the partto which the body of the closure is connected.

The objects and advantages above enumerated, with others hereinafter appearing, are attained in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a fragmentary central vertical section through a liquid fuel burning apparatus incorporating our improvement; Fig.- 2 is a perspective'view of the closure, and Fig. 31s a fragmentary perspectiveof the burner bowl with a part of the tube or sleeve that receives the closure broken away to reveal the gasket engagingflange or seat.

The structure shown fragmentarily in Fig; 1

- is that of a furnace incorporating liquid fuel combustion apparatus ofthe kind hereinbefore referred to, The burner bowl is designated l and includes an annular top wall 2 the central opening of which is surrounded by a depending lip 3. Connected to and spaced above the top wall 2 by means of a number of shouldered rivets or the like, one of which is shown at 4 in Fig. 1, is an assembly comprising an annulus 5 that is flanged downwardly about its inner edge to form a lip 6 that is spaced inwardly from and is substantially concentric with the lip 3; a centrally apertured top wall I of a housing later to be described, and a ring-like member 8, the outer rim portion of which is connected, as by fastening means or bolts9,'to the'annular bottom wall ID of a combustion chamber I I. v

The previously mentionedtop wall 7 constitutes a part of a housing indicated generally by the numeral J4, the same including also a peair to anair chamber 20 enclosed by said housbowl communicates with the combustion chaming and surrounding the burner bowl I. The

, b er I'l through the passageway provided by the openings in the annulus 5, top wall 1 and ringlike member 8.

From the chamber 20, primary air enters the bowl I through holes 25 in the peripheral wall thereof, while secondary air enters over the top of the bowl and through the annular slot be tween the'lips 3 and 6 that serve to deflect the secondary air downwardly into the interior of thebowl. Liquid fuel is supplied to the sumplike bottom of the bowl through 'a conduit designated 28 that leads from a suitable source of supply (not shown). In accordance with common practice, a liquid level control is desirably included in the connections between said source,

, and the bowl.

The peripheral wall of the bowl on the side toward the front of the furnace is provided with a relatively large lighting and clean-out opening or hand hole 30 that is surrounded by a forwardly projecting flange 3!. A tube or sleeve 32 is welded or otherwise attached to the Wall of the .bowl about the flange 3| in outwardly spaced concentric relation thereto, the tube or sleeve exerally by the reference numeral 40 and later to be described in detail, is provided for the lighting and clean-out opening 30.

To start the fire, the closure is removed and a lighted match, burning taper or other igniting means is projected through the opening 3!] to set fire to the fuel that has been fed to the bowl through th conduit 28. As soon as the fuel is ignited the closure 40 is replaced to tightly close the opening 3!], and as the bowl becomes heated the fuel is vaporized, the vapors mixing with primary air admitted through the holes 25 and burning slowly. As combustion progresses and the heat increases vapors in' greater volume are produced and ultimately a relatively rich slowly burning mixture occupies the bowl I and as the mixture rises it is rendered more highly combustible by the addition of secondary air that enters between the lips 3 and 6, the greater percentage of combustion occurring above this point Within the combustion chamber I The previously mentioned closure is composed of a cylindrical plug-like body 4| to the inner end wall of which is rotatably connected or swiveled, by means of a pivot member 42, a gasket carrier designated generally by the numeral 43. This element is desirably drawn or otherwise formed from a single piece of sheet metal and comprises a circular end wall 44 and a cylindrical wall 45 that extends forwardly over the inner end of the body 4| and has its forward end gradually curled outwardly and then back over itself to provide an inwardly facing annular channel that contains a ring or gasket 46 of suitable non-inflammable packing material, desirably of a fibrous nature, such as asbestos. The packing ring or gasket 46 is thus sustained in a position to engage the seat formed by the forward end of the flange 3| when the closure 40 is inserted into the tube or sleeve 32 by means of a handle 48 that is suitably fastened to its forward end. The

forward end of the body 4| is enlarged to nearly the internal diameter of the tube or sleeve 32 and at diametrically opposite points is provided with slots 5!). The forward edge portion of the enlarged end of the body 4| is cut away on the corresponding sides of the slots 50 to provide cam surfaces 5|.

Diametrically opposed abutments that are carried by and project inwardly from the tube or sleeve 32, are arranged to pass through the slots 50 when the closure is inserted into the tube -or sleeve. The abutments 55 desirably consist of rollers that are mounted on studs 53, shown as riveted to the sleeve or tube. When the pluglike body 4| is turned by means of the handle 48,

the cam surfaces 5| are caused to ride under the 'abutments or rollers 55thereby to force the closure inwardly and compress the packing ring 46 against the seat provided by the forward end of the flange 3| and seal the lighting and clean-out opening30 against the admission of air. Consequently. when the closure 40 is in place air is admitted to the bowl only through the holes 25 and the slot between the lips 3 and 6 and a properly balanced condition of air and vapors prevails to insure satisfactory operation of the apparatus.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

In combination with a wall having an opening,

a sleeve connected to the wall about said opening in outwardly spaced substantially concentric relation thereto, a flange surrounding the opening in inwardly spaced relation to the sleeve, the sleeve extending a material distance beyond the outer end of the flange, a closure comprising a cylindrical plug-like body that is closed at its inner end and is adapted to be received by the sleeve, the plug having a bayonet joint connection with the sleeve. a gasket carrier in the form of a cup wherein the inner end of the plug-like body is loosely received, .the perimeter of the carrier being turned outwardly and back over itself to provide an annular inwardly facing channel, a gasket within said channel for engagement with the aforesaid flange, and a pivot member extending through the end walls of the body and carrier axially thereof and rotatably connecting them together in spaced relation to each other.

THEODORE B. FOCKE. HOLDEN B. TOWNLEY. 

